How to Install and use Rancher 2 on Ubuntu 18.04 to manage containers

Hello good people. This guide will cover the installation and usage of Rancher container management platform on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. Rancher is an open source, production ready, complete container management platform developed by Rancher Labs.

Rancher natively supports Kubernetes and allows users to control its features through a simple and intuitive UI. Kubernetes can be launched in a matter of minutes with a single click through Rancher. It integrates with LDAP, AD, and GitHub for authentication.

Rancher also provides Application catalog with over 90 popular Docker applications where you can deploy and manage complex applications with a click of a button. If you’re a Helm user, then no worry as Rancher ships with it. Additionally, it’s easy to update Kubernetes to latest stable release using its Rancher UI.

Install Rancher on Ubuntu 18.04

Here is the installation process of Rancher on Ubuntu 18.04. After the installation, we will deploy a Kubernetes cluster and create a test application container.

On accessing the page, you’ll be asked to set a strong password for the default admin user.

Then set Rancher URL

Step 3: Create a Kubernetes Cluster

Here we’ll create a single node Kubernetes cluster, note that in a Production environment, you’ll need at least three nodes, one master node, and two worker nodes.

To create a new cluster, navigate to Clusters > Add Cluster > From my own existing nodes ( Custom). Give the cluster a name, and click “Next”. Under Node Options, choose all ( etcd, Control Plane, and Worker)

Paste the commands given on the Worker node. It may take some time for the cluster to be ready, so be patient.

Once the cluster is ready, all components should be green.

Step 4: Deploy Container application

Now that we have our cluster ready, let’s proceed to deploy a test application to it. Click on your cluster name, then Catalog Apps. Search the name of the application you want to deploy, for me this is Dokuwiki. Check the Application deployment details to know the changes you may need to make.

After deployment, the application should appear on the Workloads section.